This invention relates to toilets for use in recreational vehicles such as motor homes and travel trailers and is particularly related to a universal toilet system for recreational vehicles that is adaptable to be installation in a wide variety of locations within the recreational vehicle.
Toilets for recreational vehicles (RV) are generally manufactured by a third party and supplied to the RV manufacturer for installation into a vehicle. In the past, each toilet has been designed for use in a particular location within a recreational vehicle, such as a bench along one side of a bathroom or in a corner of the bathroom, etc. Because vehicle manufacturers typically provide a number of RV models, a number of different toilets are required to meet the manufacturer's needs. The RV manufacturer is thus required to inventory a number of different toilets to accommodate the various RV models. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a single toilet system which is configured to be used in a variety of locations within a RV at the desire of the RV manufacturer. It is a further objective of the invention to increase the manufacturer's flexibility in the interior design of the vehicle
The universal recreational vehicle toilet system of the present invention includes an upper bowl section containing a toilet bowl with a bottom outlet and a lower base section upon which the bowl section is mounted above the RV floor. A removable waste holding tank is inserted into the base section, or at least a portion of the tank is inserted into the base section below the bowl outlet and contains a disconnectable fluid coupling with the bowl outlet for receiving waste therefrom. The base section, either individually or in cooperation with a wall structure within the RV body forms a stowage compartment in which the holding tank is stowed in fluid connection with the bowl outlet. The tank and any waste odors or spillage are isolated from the RV body interior living space. The tank is removable from the stowage compartment through an opening in the RV sidewall for disposal of the waste therefrom.
The bowl section and the base section of the toilet system are constructed in such a manner that the front of the bowl section can be rotated about an upright axis relative to the base section to adapt the installed position of the bowl section in the RV to a desired position. This enables the RV manufacturer to position the base in a variety of locations within the recreational vehicle and further enables the bowl section to be positioned in a variety of orientations relative to the base.
The universal toilet system further allows for different sized and shaped tanks to accommodate different applications The tank has an inlet opening in the top wall through which the waste enters the tank. A blade valve closes the opening when the toilet is not in use.
The bowl is flushed by water provided to the toilet from a pressurized water source in the RV. The flush mechanism of the toilet includes an electrically actuated valve to control the flow of flush water.
The control for the flush valve and the tank blade valve are remotely mounted to a wall within the RV and connected to the base and bowl section via flexible cable and electrical wire respectively. The RV manufacturer is free to mount the control where desired, regardless of the orientation of the bowl section upon the base section. A coupling mechanism between the base section and tank operatively connects the tank blade valve to the valve actuator cable. The coupling mechanism includes an actuating member mounted to the base section and an actuated member mounted to the tank which automatically couple as the tank is moved into the stowed position in the base section.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.